I struggled with math as a kid. Every night, I’d toil over numbers and erase the equations so many times, my worksheets looked like Swiss cheese. To this day I still get a little nervous when I see pink erasers.

I hated math and wanted to read books instead. No matter how crazy the plot in a book was, it still made more sense than story problems. My dad would try to help me, but when I didn’t understand he’d explain it again, only a little louder until he was yelling and I was crying.

It’s funny how I can still remember staring at the clock on the microwave, or the apple themed kitchen at my parent’s house, but I cannot remember one bit of what my father tried (and failed) to explain to me.

My son’s math is getting more complicated. We are still in the early weeks of school so much of it feels like review, but I know that the marriage of the alphabet into a number set is right around the corner and I will soon be at a loss to help. There are many places online where I can reacquaint myself with equations, but I also want to fully understand them. I’ve been at the reference desk enough times to know that I am not alone in this. I’ve given quite a few parents a stack of books and a list of websites. But sometimes we need more.

The Bellevue Friends of the Library is sponsoring a Math for Parents workshop at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Bellevue Library. Two Bellevue School District teachers, Lisa Jackson and Abigail Horsfall will cover basic math concepts for middle and high school.

This is not a math course for teens. It’s a one-time math workshop for the parents of middle and high school students who may be struggling to help their kids or just want to know what they are learning in the Common Core Standards.

There are many of us who could stand to use a refresher course on algebraic principles. Who knows? In the future you may find yourself creating a story problem based on your speed, the speed of the Microsoft Connector bus and the distance of the 520 bridge. Or maybe not. Either way, this workshop will help you feel more confident when it comes time to help your kids.

Please bring pencil, and paper and your questions. Pink erasers are optional.

Darcy Brixey is the teen services librarian at the Bellevue Library. She’d like to tell you she loves to read, but it’s an expectation of the job.